ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Thieves used to take just the small stickers off a license plate, but now there’s an increase in the theft of the entire plate.

The increase of that kind of theft is dramatic. “It’s about 130% from last year” said St. Louis Police Sergeant John McLaughlin.

He says the reason is probably because people have been instructed to put the sticker in the middle of the plate and the stickers also contain the license plate number. He says there are ways of fighting back.

“We encourage people to continue to slice the tag, place super glue over the tag so its more difficult to remove.” said Sgt. McLaughlin.

He also suggests getting a clear cover for the plate and purchasing a kit that includes special fasteners and a dedicated tool for those fasteners. The department will soon be selling those kits, at cost, at the Five Star Senior Center at Arsenal and Oregon.